Museum Preserves the Stories of Everyday People
albemarle, culture, don pendergraft, downtown, elizabeth city, museum,
Don Pendergraft wants to tell a story 367 years in the making.
Pendergraft, exhibit design chief for the Museum of the Albemarle, helped develop the new exhibit “Our Story,” slated to open in spring 2008 at the museum.
“It will be the story of all people who have lived here – from the Woodland Culture through the Spanish exploration, through the time Albemarle was settled [in 1640] on to present day,” Pendergraft says.
“We’ve also simplified the process by breaking it into eras based on modes of travel. The modern times are divided into the maritime, canal, railroad, auto and tourism eras.”
The Museum of the Albemarle in downtown Elizabeth City is the northeastern regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History.
“It began privately in 1967 and has evolved to this,” says Pendergraft, referring to the new $15 million facility on the waterfront. “What we’re really about is a general history museum – artifacts of the common man. We are selective with what we take, but it definitely revolves around the life of the everyday person.”
The story began almost four centuries ago, when people first began to plant crops and settle in villages along the river’s edge. The museum’s exhibits include personal artifacts, decorative arts, documents, photographs and even agriculture, maritime and hunting implements.
Pendergraft, who holds a master’s degree in sculpture and came to Elizabeth City in 1993 from the state museum in Raleigh, says visitors should expect the new exhibit to provide an intimate look at the region’s history.
“It will be a large exhibit but should connect with the visitor,” Pendergraft adds.
Story by Warren Denney, Cindy Sanders and Dan Markham
Photo by Ian Curcio
